Mophie juice pack for HTC One Review

For a long time, Mophie made its name from iPhone accessories. The juice pack and its subsequent variations have become essential tools for many smartphone users looking to extend the uptime of their devices. This is especially true when speaking of devices that do not have removable batteries.

The HTC One resembles the iPhone in many ways: it is crafted from a single piece of aluminum; it has a non-removable cell; and, at least for now, it stands alone at the top of the pyramid as the company’s flagship device. Its high-profile release across multiple carriers has ensured that accessory manufacturers like Mophie worked quickly to create versions of their own most popular add-ons.

Mophie’s juice pack for the HTC One is similar to the recently-released iPhone 5 version, but it’s much, much bigger. Not only does the battery itself have a much higher capacity, at 2500mAh, but the sheer size difference between the One and iPhone 5 necessitates a larger structure around the phone.

Not only does the juice pack add weight, size and thickness to the HTC One, but it protects the phone a considerable amount, from scrapes to falls to knocks.

Like most mophie accessories, the juice pack for HTC One comes in two pieces, a larger bottom piece and a smaller top one that snaps into place once the phone is secured and plugged in. Due to the non-centred microUSB port, the juice pack looks like it has a snaggletooth, but is otherwise unremarkable in its design.

On the back, you’ll find four LEDs that glow white when the charge button is pressed. Next to it is a small on/off switch that begins charging the phone.

The juice pack will charge the phone regardless of battery level; if the phone reaches 100%, the add-on will maintain it there until it is depleted. When charging the juice pack itself, which is done via an included microUSB cable at the bottom, the phone and charger are topped up simultaneously, albeit at a slower pace than either one on its own.

The 2500mAh battery should be able to get your HTC One back to 100% from around 20% or so; though the included capacity is actually larger than the One’s internal battery, it isn’t quite efficient enough to hit 100% from fully depleted.

As a case, the juice pack is a little too big to use as a standard protector — I’d recommend one of HTC’s official cases, or Spigen’s excellent Ultra Thin Air — unless you don’t mind the added bulk. It’s not really the extra weight or thickness that affected normal usage so much as the increased height. The One is already a tall phone, and with the juice pack attached it just felt unwieldy and awkward, especially when used with one hand.

As with most Mophie cases, all the buttons are covered and adorned with rubber equivalents; the power and volume rocker felt extremely spritely and responsive. And because the HTC One projects its speakers towads the user, there was no need for Mophie to redirect sound the way it did for the iPhone series.

Overall, the Mophie juice pack for the HTC One does exactly as it advertises. It almost doubles the length of your phone’s battery but increases its overall weight, height and thickness considerably. While the added bulk won’t be an issue for most people, and all the requisite functions, from access to the camera to pressing the power button, are all present, it’s still a bit too big to use as an everyday case.

For $99.95, the juice pack is excellent value and a fantastic product. It is available directly from Mophie’s website and through select retailers. The black version is shipping now with a silver version coming in mid-May.

Highly Recommended.

9

Final Score

Bobby

If you require so much extra battery life for your phone on daily basis, may I suggest getting a girlfriend instead?

sky88

Considering how much more expensive girlfriends are, I will stick to my “juice pack” for under a $100.

Allyouranusarebelongtous

Once you have one (girlfriend) you will understand.

…silence truly is golden.

Allyouranusarebelongtous

As they say you don’t need to be in a relationship to have…relations so to speak. So with that said…there may in fact be an argument made for a “long lasting” battery relationship…just saying

Sara Frey

Or it just means that you’re busy and use your phone a lot. Plus, you obviously don’t stream music with your phone. I stream music in the car, while walking to class, at the library while doing studying or doing homework, on breaks at work, etc. That’s a real battery killer. I might not use this case everyday because of the extra weight but it’s a good idea.

d3v14n7

Right, because having a girlfriend will undoubtedly reduce people’s day to day smartphone usage… /sarcasm

How old are you? 12? 13? There are much more important things in life than “getting laid”, if/when you finally grow up, and grow out of that childish mentality, you’ll realize how completely idiotic your comment was.

mjolnirxz

I think the battery bar is a much better solution…

mjolnirxz

i find having a bulky phone more annoying, just me maybe? lol

Plazmic Flame

Did the text for the comment section get bigger all of a sudden???

Michael Kleiman

I love Android…but the phones are just to darn big..4 to 4.3 inch are the right size…imho…….done with Android because of that…damn!!

Max Fireman

Really? Come on… 5 inch S4 is perfect size.

Allyouranusarebelongtous

I can’t believe no one has made a “he has small hands and smells like cabbage joke”. Classic.

You get used to the size, but where the magic is in an android phone vs say the iphone 5. It’s wider for a given size, so it actually makes sense to have a bigger screen. bigger wider keyboard, larger wider window to surf with etc etc etc.

Stephen

Gotta make up for HTC’s crappy battery life somehow

Allyouranusarebelongtous

The battery is great in the One. And your statement that, “f the One is suppose to be better than than the S4 then there would be no reason for this battery pack” is just ridiculous. They are comparable phones, the battery life test every where except on this site put them neck at neck. Mophie didn’t create this because they don’t think the HTC one is a good phone. They created it because they know it will sell well so it’s worth the R&D into a accessory like this.

It’s like me saying, “I guess if the GS4 is supposed to be better than the One they wouldn’t need to have a removable battery back…because obviously it won’t last” or something equally stupid.

You guys need to look at more sites than just this one. And they are both wonderful phones. You literally CAN’T go wrong.

The GS4 has a bigger screen higher base power saving clock speed similar battery….doesn’t add up that it kills the HTC One. And it doesn’t

EDIT PC MAG: “With both phones coming in dead level on battery life and at a similar price on contract

Plazmic Flame

Because OEMs don’t understand that battery life is important as well…

d3v14n7

Battery life on the HTC One is excellent right out of the box, and from what I’ve been reading, both the One and the Galaxy S4 are neck and neck when it comes to battery life even though the Galaxy S4 has a higher capacity battery…
So in reality, the One is more efficient than the Galaxy S4 when it comes down to battery life. These battery packs are for those who use their smartphones a lot more than the average user, not because the included battery is “mediocre”…